Succeeding With Online Group Projects
Succeeding With Online Group Projects is an online professional development courses from the Learning Scenarios group at Valencia Community College. This course focuses on the design and facilitation of group projects in the online environment. By engaging with the storyline, characters, readings, and interacting with other participants, you will leave with the skills, attitudes and knowledge to plan and implement group activities.
The course is designed for new and experienced faculty currently using online group projects, or planning to do so in the near future. Faculty offering hybrid courses will be especially interested in the course plus the strategies and resources will be valued by faculty in traditional instructional environments.
The Succeeding With Online Group Projects Course:
- is web‑based/distributed, asynchronous and facilitated (faculty-to-faculty)
- is structured as a course (orientation, syllabus, assignments, ongoing discussion threads and assessments) lasting 6 weeks
- utilizes an electronic case study and employs collaborative and problem‑based learning techniques
- leverages the power of story in fostering reflection, judgment and deep insight
- is designed to be integrated with other professional development activities
Course Objectives
By the end of the workshop, you will be able to answer the following key questions:
- What are the benefits of online group projects and why do students often resist participation in such activities?
- How does my prior experience with groups shape the design of future online group projects?
- What are the key challenges in designing and implementing online group projects?
- What are the key stages of group formation and functioning?
- How do I participate effectively in a group project?
- What are proven strategies for evaluation of participation in group projects?
- What resources (on my campus and beyond) are available to assist with the design and implementation of group projects?
- How do I design a group project for an online course?